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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she very much appreciated Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) comments to Roll Call today about the District of Columbia’s marijuana legalization initiative, and said she will be sending him a note thanking him for his principled support for D.C. home rule. District voters are expected to approve an initiative today legalizing marijuana. Senator Paul, without taking a position on the legalization of marijuana, said that local jurisdictions should decide such local matters. Paul said, “I’m not for having the federal government get involved. I really haven’t taken a stand on…the actual legalization…but I’m against the federal government telling them they can’t.”

“I am grateful for the comments that Senator Paul made today about the District’s right to decide for itself the marijuana legalization initiative that the people put on the ballot,” Norton said. “I am not surprised by the Senator’s support. Ever since he was elected to the Senate, I have regarded him as a potential ally for the notion that the federal government should not interfere with the democratic positions of any local jurisdiction. In fact, the federal government does not interfere with the laws of the states, territories, or localities, except for the District of Columbia. As Senator Paul has traveled the country speaking in detail about his views, I have grown even more encouraged. There can be no doubt that what the Senator has been saying is often consistent with our views that the federal government should not interfere with D.C.’s local affairs.”